The Party Of NO Voted Against The Stimulus And THEN TOOK THE MONEY!

Blocking The Recovery While Reaping Its Benefits - House Of Representatives

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Said Stimulus Funds Would Create “Much Needed Jobs.” Minority Leader Boehner: “The stated intent of the so-called stimulus package was to create jobs, and certainly a $57 million slush-fund studying projects did nothing to achieve that goal. With Ohio’s unemployment rate the highest it’s been in 25 years, I’m pleased that federal officials stepped in to order Ohio to use all of its construction dollars for shovel-ready projects that will create much-needed jobs.” [Boehner Statement, 6/15/09]
-Congressman Boehner Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Boehner Regularly Blasts The Stimulus And Instructed His Caucus To Oppose It. [Huffington Post, 1/27/09]

Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) Held A Job Fair Where Nearly Half The 30 Organizations Received Stimulus Funds; Cantor Also Supported Using Stimulus Funds To Build A Washington To Richmond Rail. Washington Post: “For months, Democrats have dubbed U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia a hypocrite for strongly opposing the federal stimulus package only to promote aspects of it later. Here’s the latest example: Nearly half of the 30 organizations participating in a job fair Cantor is holding Monday in Culpeper were recipients of the stimulus…In the summer, Cantor came under fire after he talked about his support of using stimulus money to build a rail project from Washington to Richmond.” [Washington Post Virginia Blog, 11/18/09]
- Congressman Eric Cantor Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) Issued Pres Releases Bragging About Bringing Stimulus Jobs To His District. On July 28th, Kingston’s press office fired off two releases bragging about a $106,901 grant for the Alma Police Department and a $138,286 grant for the Jesup Police Department in Georgia. These grants, distributed by the Department of Justice for the “hiring of new police officers, to combat violence against women, and to fight Internet crimes against children,” were fully-funded by President Obama’s Recovery Act.
[Think Progress, 8/4/09]
- Congressman Kingston Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]

Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) Working To ‘Channel’ Recovery Act Funds To New Orleans. Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) is now working to bring Recovery Act money into his district. Last week, the Times-Picayune reported that Cao has been meeting with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to apply to “use stimulus money for additional streetcar expansions and road repairs.” Cao boasted that he is now working to “channel” the money that he opposed to his district. [Think Progress, 8/3/09]
- Congressman Cao Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Cao Initially Indicated That He Would Vote For the Stimulus, Before Succumbing To GOP Arm-Twisting. [Think Progress, 8/3/09]

Rep. Mary Fallin Requested Army Secretary Use $8.4m in Stimulus Funds for Projects in Oklahoma. Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK) — who called the stimulus a “Big Brother spending program” — asked Army Secretary Pete Geren to use $8.4 million in stimulus money for repairs to buildings at two Oklahoma National Guard sites. [Think Progress, 8/27/09]
-Congressman Fallin Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]

Dan Lungren Praised $127.5 million in Stimulus Funds to Sacramento As a Solution To “Energy, Environmental and National Security Issues.” [Sacramento Bee, 11/28/09]
-Dan Lungren Claimed That The Stimulus Package “Didn’t Work” and Called It A “Terribly Tragedy”. [DCCC Release, 12/2/09]
-Lungren Appeared At Stimulus-Funding Project Groundbreaking Ceremony, Saying “if there’s one thing we agree on with this spending package, it is for simple infrastructure.” [DCCC, 12/2/09]
-Congressman Lungren Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) Hands Out Giant Stimulus Check In Georgia. Gingrey appeared in the city of Cedartown, Georgia, to present a giant check of $625,000 in stimulus funds to the city commission to help fund the the city’s Streetscape project, which will install new sidewalks and infrastructure. [Think Progress, 10/13/09]
-Congressman Gingrey Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]

Congressman Mike Coffman (R-CO) Says He Will Advocate For Benefits Of Recovery Package Despite Opposition. During a segment with KUSA-TV, Rep. Coffman said: “I see myself in two roles as a congressman. I think the first role as a policymaker in Washington and the second as an advocate for people inside this district and there are elements we’ll probably be discussing – the mortgage proposal – there are probably elements that I disagree with that but if there’s somebody in my district eligible for that, I’ll fight to make sure they get them.” Coffman goes on to say, “I certainly supported infrastructure spending because it creates direct jobs in the private sector, clearly I support tax relief…it still puts money into the economy.” [KUSA-TV, 2/22/09]
-Congressman Coffman Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Coffman Attacked The Recovery Package, Stating: “I Think It’s Going To Have The Reverse Effect That It’s Intended To Have.” [CBS4, 2/2/09]

Congressman Reichert (R-WA) Acknowledged Recovery Package Will Deliver Good News For District. The Boston Globe reported: “Reichert acknowledges that the stimulus bill will deliver tangible good news to his constituents… ‘I feel a responsibility at this point to make this still work.’” [Boston Globe, 2/24/09]
-Congressman Reichert Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Reichert Attacked The Recovery Package, Declaring
It To Be Spending That “Won’t Create Jobs.” [McClatchy, 2/13/09]

Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK) Said He Would Get His “Fair Share” Of Recovery Package Money. According to the Edmond Sun, Rep. Lucas said, “I will work with you as I worked with your member of Congress (Mary Fallin) and your U.S. senators that we will get our fair share.” He added, “We all need to work very aggressively to make sure that every community that qualifies should be a recipient of whatever we can find in that bill” [Edmond Sun, 2/18/09]
-Congressman Lucas Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Lucas Attacked The Recovery Package, Stating, “The Federal Government Does “Not Create Wealth.” [Enid News And Eagle, 1/28/09]

Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC) Hosts Recovery Package Workshop, Says He Is “Prepared To Fight” For “Fair Share.” The Citizen-Times, reported: “‘I didn’t vote for it, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t support Western North Carolina getting its fair share. We’re prepared to fight for that,’ Shuler told some 220 local officials gathered at the Asheville Renaissance Hotel for a workshop on how local governments can plan and apply for stimulus funding.” [Citizen-Times, 1/20/09]
-Congressman Shuler Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]

Congressman Bill Shuster Bashes The Stimulus As A Failure While Taking Credit For Its Success. Congressman Shuster has been quietly claiming credit for its benefits in his district, as well as advocating for an expanded role for Recovery Act money in his community:
-On November 20, Shuster attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a sewage treatment plant for the Blairsville Municipal Authority. Republican State Senator Don White noted that the project was only possible because of the stimulus, which allowed the state Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) to provide a $10.4 million grant and a $3 million low interest loan for construction. [Blairsville Dispatch, 11/25/09]
-On November 4, Shuster asked Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) to use some of the state’s stimulus money to reopen the Scotland School for Veterans’ Children. Shuster noted that using the Recovery Act money for the school would save 134 full-time jobs. [Waynesboro Herald-Mail, 11/4/09]
-In July, Shuster joined 14 Pennsylvania lawmakers — including fellow stimulus-opponents Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Charlie Dent (R-PA), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), and Todd Platts (R-PA) — in writing a letter asking that stimulus money be used towards public universities. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7/10/09]
-In June, Shuster hailed the stimulus-funded initiative to build a high-speed rail line between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The Post-Gazette quoted Shuster praising the project: “I believe we are about to experience a new era in passenger rail in this country. I want Western Pennsylvania to participate in this new era and to enjoy the benefits of increased and expanded passenger rail service.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6/23/09]
-Congressman Shuster Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Shuster said the Recovery Act is doing “nothing to encourage growth.” [Shuster press release, 9/4/09]

Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR) Vowed To Direct Recovery Package Money To His District. According to the Mail Tribune, Rep. Walden said, “I figure my job is to try and do whatever I can to clear the hurdles and get the projects going and the people back to work using these funds. They are going to spent somewhere.” He added, “I hope they are spent mostly in this region. The part that is encouraging is the speed in which the agencies appear to want to move forward with projects.” [Mail Tribune, 2/19/09]
-Congressman Walden Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70)
-Congressman Walden Attacked Stimulus, Stating: "If this is truly supposed to be a stimulus that produces jobs, this bill fails on that account. There are much better ways to produce jobs and keep jobs than to send money they way there are spending money.” [The Oregonian, 2/13/09]

Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) Hoped “Massive Spending” Would Benefit Constituents. The Daily Collegian reported, “Congressman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Howard, who represents the 5th District at a national level, said he hoped the residents within the county would benefit from the plan’s massive spending and tax cuts.” In opposing the stimulus, Thompson cited “reckless spending and insufficient tax cuts.” [The Daily Collegian, 2/19/09]
-Congressman Thompson Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Thompson Criticized The Recovery Package, Stating: “How Does Borrowing From Foreign Countries Actually Benefit Us?” [The Daily Collegian, 2/2/09]

Congressman Leonard Lance (R-NJ) Proclaimed That A Recovery Package Funded Program Was A “Classic Example Of A Shovel-Ready Project.” According to ABC News, “In New Jersey, Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., toured a Army Corps of Engineers construction site that will likely get stimulus dollars. ‘This is a classic example of a ‘shovel-ready’ project,’ Lance said. As the liberal website BlueJersey notes, Lance had penned an op-ed against the bill, writing ‘Only a fraction of the dollars are targeted toward ’shovel ready’ projects that will keep and create immediate jobs.’” [ABC News, 2/19/09]
-Congressman Lance Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Lance Penned An Op-Ed Writing “Only A Fraction Of The Dollars Are Targeted Toward ‘Shovel Ready’ Projects That Will Keep and Create Immediate Jobs.” [Cranford Chronicle, 2/12/09]

Congressman John Mica (R-FL) ‘Gushed’ About Funds Secured In Recovery Package. According to McClatchy Newspapers, “Rep. John Mica was gushing after the House of Representatives voted Friday to pass the big stimulus plan. ‘I applaud President Obama’s recognition that high-speed rail should be part of America’s future,’ the Florida Republican beamed in a press release.” Additionally, according to the Politico, Congressman Diaz-Balart was among the “nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no’s,” who, “joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash.” [The Politico, 2/18/09; McClatchy, 2/13/09]
-Congressman Mica Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]

Congressman Don Young (R-AK) Claimed “Victory” For Funds Secured In Recovery Package. According to McClatchy Newspapers, “Young boasted that he ‘won a victory for the Alaska Native contracting program and other Alaska small business owners last night in H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.’” [McClatchy, 2/13/09]
-Congressman Young Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Young Was Reportedly “Gnashing His Teeth After The Stimulus Bill Passed,” Remarking, “I Think It’s An Unfortunate Day For America.” [Anchorage Daily News, 2/13/09]

Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) Hailed Education Benefits Of Recovery Package As “What The Economy Needs.” According to KTVO-TV, “Luetkemeyer said the project is considered ‘shovel ready’ and that’s what the economy needs. President Darrell Krueger and Luetkemeyer discussed the educational benefits of the economic recovery package.” [KTVO-TV, 2/17/09]

Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) Took Credit For Recovery-Funded Highway Project. On his congressional website, McCaul features a story from earlier this month about a largely stimulus-funded project to expand Highway 36 in Texas. In the story, he is thanked for “taking this project to the next phase of reality.” Noting its importance, McCaul says the highway expansion will “cut down on fatal crashes and ensure commerce can continue to move efficiently through Austin County and the rest of this important region.”
-Congressman McCaul Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Mccaul Brags About His Opposition To The “Pork-Filled” Stimulus.

Congressman Pete Olson (R-TX) Requested $3 Billion In Stimulus Funds. Politico reports that Olson, “whose district includes the Johnson Space Center, circulated a letter in October requesting that $3 billion in stimulus funds be redirected to NASA.
Olson said he was just helping the president choose the “right priorities” — which just so happen to be centered in his congressional district. [Politico, 1/28/10]
-Congressman Olson Criticized Stimulus As “Wasting” Money: “The Fact Of The Matter Is The President Has That Money, And He’s Been Wasting It.” [Politico, 1/28/10]

Congressman Ken Calvert (R-CA) Announced He Would Claim “As Much [Recovery Package] Money As We Can.” According to The Press Enterprise, Rep. Calvert said, “All of us in the Inland Empire will do what we can to direct as much money as we can.” [The Press Enterprise, 2/13/09]
-Congressman Calvert Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Calvert Complained That The Recovery Package Forces The Middle Class “Onto A Troubling King Of Public Dependency.” [Inland News Today, 2/20/09]

Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) Praised “Generous” Recovery Package Benefits. According to the Hill Blog, Rep. Hoekstra communicated through Twitter: “If you know of someone thinking of buying first home, now may be the time.Stimulus incentive is very generous!Up to 8k!Check it out.” [The Hill’s Brief Room, 2/18/09]
-Congressman Hoekstra Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Hoekstra Attacked The Recovery Package As A “Spending Spree.” [Grand Haven Tribune, 2/14/09]

Congressman Adam Putnam (R-FL) Signed Letter Asking Federal Government Asking For Waiver To Access Recovery Package Funds. According to the Politico, Congressman Putnam was among the “nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no’s,” who, “joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash.” [The Politico, 2/18/09]
-Congressman Putnam Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Putnam Penned An Op-Ed Attacking The Recovery Package As Spending Taxpayer Money “With Reckless Abandon.” [St. Petersburg Times, 2/11/09]

Congressman Cliff Stearns (R-FL) Signed Letter Asking Federal Government Asking For Waiver To Access Recovery Package Funds. According to the Politico, Congressman Stearns was among the “nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no’s,” who, “joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash.” [The Politico, 2/18/09]
-Congressman Stearns Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Stearns Condemned The Recovery Package As An “Unprecedented Big-Government Grab For Citizen Reliance On The Federal Government.” [New York Times, 2/16/09]

Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL) Signed Letter Asking Federal Government Asking For Waiver To Access Recovery Package Funds. According to the Politico, Congressman Posey was among the “nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no’s,” who, “joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash.” [The Politico, 2/18/09]
-Congressman Posey Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Posey Criticized The Recovery Package As “Very Little To Really Stimulate Activity And Just A Lot Of Money Thrown Around.” [Fox 35, 2/14/09]

Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) Signed Letter Asking Federal Government Asking For Waiver To Access Recovery Package Funds. According to the Politico, Congresswoman Brown-Waite was among the “nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no’s,” who, “joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver
giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash.” [The Politico, 2/18/09]
-Congresswoman Brown-Waite Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congresswoman Brown-Waite Released A Statement Deriding The Bill As A “Pork-Ridden Bailout That Produces Few Jobs” And Compared It To A “Deal With The Devil.” [St. Petersburg Times, 1/29/09]

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) Signed Letter Asking Federal Government Asking For Waiver To Access Recovery Package Funds. According to the Politico, Congressman Diaz-Balart was among the “nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no’s,” who, “joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash.” [The Politico, 2/18/09]
-Congressman Diaz-Balart Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Diaz-Balart Voiced His Opposition To The Recovery Package, Stating, “We’re Going To Be Embarrassed, It’s Not Going To Help The Economy.” [KIMO-ABC, 2/16/09]

Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL) Signed Letter Asking Federal Government Asking For Waiver To Access Recovery Package. According to the Politico, Congressman Rooney was among the “nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no’s,” who, “joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash.” [The Politico, 2/18/09]
-Congressman Rooney Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Rooney Decried The Recovery Package Because He Said It “Levees Our Economic Future On The Backs Of Our Children While Spending Billions On Projects That Will Do Little To Stimulate The Economy.” [Herald Tribune, 2/13/09]

Congressman Geoff Davis (R-KY) Took Credit For Over $1 Million In Recovery Funds For His District. On December 16th, Congressman Geoff Davis sent out a press release hailing $1,044,140 in stimulus money Carroll County school system, while crediting himself for securing the money. “I am pleased that our office was able to assist them in obtaining these funds,” noted Davis in the release. [Davis press release, 12/16/09]
-Congressman Davis Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-On the same day as he took credit for the recovery funds, Congressman Davis blasted a separate release claiming that the stimulus had “failed.” [Davis press release, 12/16/09]

Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) Signed Letter Asking Federal Government Asking For Waiver To Access Recovery Package. According to the Politico, Congressman Diaz-Balart was among the “nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no’s,” who, “joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash.” [The Politico, 2/18/09]
-Congressman Diaz-Balart Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Diaz-Balart Criticized The Recovery Package, Stating, “This Opportunity Lost Is More Than Sad, Because The American People Believed That This Was Sacrifice For Modernization, For Higher Productivity, For Creation Of Jobs, And That Is Not What It Is.” [Voice Of America, 2/13/09]

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) Signed Letter Asking Federal Government Asking For Waiver To Access Stimulus Funds. According to the Politico, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen was among the “nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no’s,” who, “joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash.” [The Politico, 2/18/09]
-Congressman Ros-Lehtinen Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]
-Congressman Ros-Lehtinen Criticized The Recovery Package, Stating “This Bill Doesn’t Get Us The Economic Security Where We Want Our Folks To Be.” [PBS, 1/27/09]
Senate

Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) Bragged About Job Creation, Environmental Clean Up Benefits Of Recovery Package. According to KIDK News, Senator Crapo gushed: “Approximately $400 million plus, maybe as much as $465 million will come to INL right here in Idaho for hundreds of new jobs and a significantly expedited clean up activity.” [KIDK News, 2/17/09]
-Senator Crapo Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Record Vote 59; Record Vote 60]
-Senator Crapo Decried The Recovery Package As “Dangerous” Because “We Can’t Spend Our Way To Prosperity.” [Idaho Mountain Express, 2/11/09]

Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) Touted Job Creation, Housing Benefits Of Recovery Package. In a press release, Senator Bond announced, “This is the type of emergency stimulus spending we should be supporting – programs that will create jobs now and help families.” The release also noted, “In Missouri, about 703 affordable housing units approved by the Missouri Housing Development Commission were stalled by the equity gap. For 2009, the state officials anticipate another 2,000 units being stalled. Bond’s amendment will save more than 700 housing units and create 3,000 new jobs in Missouri.” According to KOLR-CBS, Senator Bond toured Missouri to push “his plan to create 3,000 jobs in the state and build more than 700 affordable housing units.” [Senator Bond press release, 2/17/09; KOLR-CBS Springfield, 2/17/09]
-Senator Bond Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Record Vote 59; Record Vote 60]
-Senator Bond Blasted The Recovery Package, Stating, “Unfortunately, This Bill Stimulates The Debt, It Stimulates The Growth Of Government, But It Doesn’t Stimulate Jobs.” [Forbes, 2/9/09]

Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) Touted Funds From Stimulus Bill He Opposed. The Hickory Daily Record reports that Burr appeared in Bethlehem, North Carolina, to deliver ARRA funds for a fire station there: This summer, the department applied for and won a $2,008,515 federal grant that will pay for a new 19,000-square-foot fire station. On Friday, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr was in Bethlehem to present the grant to the department.
-Senator Burr Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Record Vote 59; Record Vote 60]
-Senator Burr slammed the stimulus on Fox News: “This isn’t a stimulus package, this is a spending package.” [Fox News, 3/1/09]

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) Asked Defense Secretary To Steer $50 Million In Stimulus Money To Georgian Bioenergy Project. Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “… Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to steer $50 million in stimulus money to a constituent’s bioenergy project. Gates didn’t do it, the AP reported.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/18/09]
- Senator Chambliss Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Record Vote 59; Record Vote 60]

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC): Would Be “Crazy” Not To Accept Recovery Package Money. During an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Graham was asked whether South Carolina should “take the [stimulus] money,” to which he replied, “I think that, yes, from my point of view, I — you don’t want to be crazy here. I mean, if there’s going to be money on the table that will help my state, but I’ve got a job to do up here, and that is to try to help people and not damn the next generation.” [CNN, 2/11/09]
-Senator Graham Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Record Vote 59; Record Vote 60]
-Senator Graham Attacked The Recovery Package For Missing “The Mark A Long Way. We Increased New Government; We Did Not Increase New Jobs.” [ABC News, 2/15/09]

Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT) Boasted Through His Spokeswoman That Pet Project In Recovery Package Is An Example Of “Utah Projects That Would Create Jobs.” According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Bennett spokeswoman Tara Hendershott said Central Utah Water’s funding is an example of how the senator worked to get money for ‘Utah projects that would create jobs’ in the stimulus bill.” [Salt Lake Tribune, 2/20/09]
-Senator Bennett Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Record Vote 59; Record Vote 60]
-Senator Bennett Claimed “Unfortunately, The Only Thing This Bill Will Stimulate Is The National Debt.” [ABC-4, 2/16/09]

Senator Johnny Isakson Asked Defense Secretary To Steer $50 Million In Stimulus Money To Georgian Bioenergy Project. Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “And The Associated Press reported in August that the state’s Republican senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to steer $50 million in stimulus money to a constituent’s bioenergy project. Gates didn’t do it, the AP reported.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/18/09]
-Senator Isakson Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Record Vote 59; Record Vote 60]

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Brags About Stimulus Projects, Requests More Money. McConnell and Rep. Ben Chandler (D-KY) toured a construction site at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. McConnell quickly took credit for the new construction, noting that he and Chandler had inserted an additional $5 million into the 2010 budget. McConnell bragged: “This is going to be a source of significant employment. At the peak, we could have up to 600 people working on this, and we believe the substantial majority of those workers will be Kentuckians.” However, McConnell conveniently forgot to mention that even more additional funds for facility construction were awarded through the stimulus. A Defense Department report states that $5,876,000 has been allocated from the Recovery Act to the Blue Grass facility for repairs. (Chandler voted for the stimulus.)
-Senator McConnell Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Record Vote 59; Record Vote 60]